KR101777276B1 - Apparatus for dispensing hot or boiling water - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing hot or boiling water, comprising a heat-insulating reservoir capable of withstanding internal transient pressure, an electrical heating element disposed in the reservoir, an outlet conduit, The valve being provided with a valve seat in which the movable valve member in the closed position is pressed against the valve seat by a closing force which is in turn connected to the open position And the configuration of the valve and its connection to the fluid communication portion is such that an excessive pressure in the reservoir applies a force in the direction opposite to the closing force to the valve member and the closing force is such that the transient pressure in the reservoir When the threshold value is reached, the valve member is pressed from the closed position.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING [0002] HOT OR BOILING WATER [0003]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing hot or boiling water.

Such a device is first described in NL-A-7112368, the British counterpart of which is GB-A-1373990. A further development of this device is described in EP-B-0 467 480. The device described therein is provided with a thermal insulation storage which is able to withstand the transient pressure therein. The reservoir is provided with a supply conduit adjacent the underside of the reservoir, the supply conduit being designed to be connected to the water supply and, in use, as soon as hot or boiling water is discharged from the reservoir, And is supplied to the reservoir through the conduit. The reservoir further has a discharge conduit adjacent the top side of the reservoir and hot or boiling water can be discharged from the reservoir through the discharge conduit in use. An electrical heating element is included in the reservoir. An outlet line is connected to the outlet conduit through the fluid communication portion. A valve is also provided. As mentioned hereinabove, the valve may be provided with a spring biased valve member, so that in an emergency the valve member may serve as a safety measure. How this valve can be designed is not described in this specification. There is no mention of what kind of emergency is intended. In addition to the foregoing, it is mentioned in the specification that the valve can be electrically operated, but how the valve can be realized is not described in the specification.

In fact, it is not simple to provide such a device for dispensing boiling water that is not commercially available with electrically operated valves, and also to provide a reliable device that reliably maintains the function under difficult conditions of dispensing boiling water It turned out.

Peteri has been manufactured by a company called BV devices in the market under the trade name of the cooker (Quooker ^®), hand-operated valves, and more specifically, the safety measures act as it is, however, conventional water tap with a rotary knob is provided is provided Is provided. In the safety measure, to open the rotary knob by turning it, the knob must be pressed against the spring bias. In this way, a valve designed as a faucet can only be opened through careful operation, that is, by simultaneously pressing and turning the rotary knob of the faucet. This safety measure is also described in EP0792970. In the case of the cougar, which is actually sold, the overpressure safety measure of the reservoir is provided in the so-called inlet combination. This inlet combination is a combination of a number of connecting couplings and valves located upstream of the reservoir inlet. If the transient pressure in the reservoir exceeds a certain value, the pressure in the reservoir is reduced through the inlet combination. And, steam can be released into the sink cupboard sidewalk.

There is a need for a device for dispensing hot or boiling water that is electrically operated with a minimum of parts and provides durable and reliable protection against excessively high transient pressures within the reservoir.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for dispensing hot or boiling water comprises: a heat-insulating reservoir; an electrical heating element disposed in the reservoir; Valve, and actuating element,

The reservoir is able to withstand the transient pressure therein,

The reservoir is provided with a supply conduit adjacent the underside of the reservoir and a discharge conduit adjacent the top of the reservoir,

The supply conduit is designed to be connected to the water supply and, as soon as hot or boiling water is discharged from the reservoir, cold water is supplied from the water supply to the reservoir through the supply conduit,

In use, hot or boiling water can be discharged from the reservoir through the outlet conduit,

Said outlet conduit being connected to said exhaust conduit through a fluid communication portion,

Wherein the valve is included in the fluid communication portion,

In these valves,

Valve body;

An inlet connected to an upstream portion of the fluid communication portion;

An outlet connected to a downstream portion of the fluid communication portion;

Valve seat;

A movable valve member which is urged from the closed position to the valve seat by a closing force;

An actuator for applying a lifting force in a direction opposite to the closing force to the valve member in an operating state such that the valve member is lifted from the valve seat; And

An inner fluid communication portion in the valve body, said inner fluid communication portion being connectable to said outlet and being sealable by a valve member,

The configuration of the valve and its connection to the fluid communication portion are such that an overpressure in the reservoir causes a force in the direction opposite to the closing force to the valve member and the closing force is such that the transient pressure in the reservoir reaches a threshold The valve member is pressed from the closed position,

The actuating element causes the actuator to be in an operative and non-operative condition in order to have a valve member in an open position and a closed position, respectively.

The valve member is used to open the valve regularly when the user desires boiling water and also to open the valve against the action of the closing force in situations where the excess pressure in the reservoir is too high given a certain threshold value, A transient pressure safety measure is provided. In particular, in the case of boiling water, this is an important point, because boiling water forms lime scale deposits. Transient pressure safety measures that come into contact with boiling water and that do not move regularly have the risk of jamming through lime scale deposits and therefore, in critical situations, i.e., when the transient pressure in the reservoir exceeds a certain threshold, The safety measures are no longer valid. For example, in a hydraulic system in which valves such as electromagnetic valves are used, these valves are typically included in the piping system such that the pressure in the upstream conduit portion of the electromagnetic valve presses the valve in the closed position. In contrast, in the device according to the invention, this valve acts in a direction opposite to the closing force in the upstream conduit, so that each pressure opens the valve. It is only in the presence of the closing force that the valve is kept closed under normal conditions. If a certain threshold of transient pressure in the reservoir is exceeded, the valve member is urged from the closed position. Therefore, the electromagnetic valve has a use function in that the user can control the dispensing of boiling water to the valve, and also has the safety function in that the same same valve, more specifically the same valve body, . Therefore, with minimal parts, work and transient pressure safety measures can be realized. As an additional advantage, in the event of an overpressure, the steam or water does not end up in the sink cupboard where the device is placed, and these vapors and water are discharged as synchro- nous through the outlet pipe. As a result, the discharge of steam on the sink cup board is prevented. For normal use and also for transient pressure safety measures, the safety measures are reliable and durable, since the same valve body which is opened regularly, that is to say with easy use, is used.

In one embodiment, the valve may be an electromagnetic valve, the movable valve member being provided with a ferromagnetic material, the actuator of the valve being an electrical coil at least partially surrounding the ferromagnetic material of the valve member, The lifting force in a direction opposite to the closing force is applied to the valve member in an operating state such that the member is lifted from the valve seat.

In an alternative embodiment, the actuator of the valve is an electric motor, the axis of which is connected to the valve member with a clearance so that if the transient pressure in the reservoir is above the threshold, The valve member can be pressed from the valve seat in the non-operating state of the electric motor, and in the operating state of the electric motor, the shaft goes to a position where the valve member is lifted from the valve seat against the closing force.

In one embodiment, the threshold may be between 2 and 11 bar. In order to prevent boiling of the water in the reservoir maintained at superatmospheric pressure, the interior of the reservoir should be under superatmospheric pressure. However, this pressure should not be too high. When the pressure reaches the threshold value, the valve member will be opened against the closing force. The pressure range is an overpressure with respect to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, if you want to look at absolute pressure, you have to add about 1 bar to the numerical range above.

In one embodiment, the closing force exerted on the valve member may be a biasing spring. This embodiment has the advantage of being able to provide a closing force without consuming electrical energy. In an alternative embodiment, the closing force may also be provided by an electric coil or an electric motor. However, in this case, energy is consecutively consumed, which is undesirable.

In the case of the commercially available cooker, the sealing valve includes two ceramic plates, each of which has an opening, and is also rotatable relative to one another to open and close the valve. These ceramic plates are heat resistant and are therefore certainly suitable for use in apparatus for dispensing boiling water. Therefore, in this embodiment of the valve, there is no valve member which is pressed against the valve seat with a specific closing force. In the case of a valve provided with a valve member to be pressed against the valve seat, the portion of the valve member which contacts the valve seat should preferably be made of a somewhat flexible material in order to obtain proper sealing. However, in general, the flexible material is not well tolerated by long-term exposure to hot boiling water. In order to solve this problem, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the upstream portion of the fluid communication portion includes a tube, which is connected to the discharge conduit of the reservoir by the upstream end and is connected to the inlet of the valve by the downstream end And the tube passes through the path of the upwardly extending portion, the top portion and the downwardly extending portion when viewed continuously from the upstream end toward the downstream end.

Since the cold water is heavier than the hot water, the water to be cooled will be gathered in the downward extension of the tube. The hot water, which tends to rise upward from the reservoir due to the convection, therefore rises to the top of the tube, but there is no further flow into the tube. Thus, it is possible to prevent boiling water from continuously coming into contact with the valve, especially its valve member and valve seat. In general, the valve member, which is designed to be flexible and contacts the valve seat, therefore contacts the boiling water only for a very short time each time, and comes into contact with much lower temperature water for the remainder of the majority of time. This has a particularly favorable effect on the durability of the valve. Also, with this design of the supply conduit, the heat transfer to the valve body of the valve is significantly limited. Therefore, only a minimal amount of heat can escape to the surroundings through the valve body.

To further reduce heat transfer to the valve, in one embodiment, the tube may include a plastic tube portion. The plastic is a poor thermal conductor, so the heat transfer to the valve body through this tube is minimal. If the valve body is also made of stainless steel, the energy yield of the device can be further improved. Stainless steel is a particularly bad heat conductor and is only associated with one end of the valve member so long as there is still contact with hot water. The heating of the remainder of the valve member and heat transfer to the periphery will only occur to a very limited extent.

Other configurations of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims, and will be apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings.

1 is a schematic side view of an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus.
2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electromagnetic valve to which a pipe is connected;
3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a valve operated by an electric motor.

The exemplary embodiments illustrated schematically in the drawings are illustrative only and are for illustrative purposes only. The present exemplary embodiment includes a thermal insulation storage 10, which is able to withstand the internal transient pressure therein. The storage section 10 is provided with a supply conduit 12 adjacent to the bottom of the storage section 10. The supply conduit 12 is designed to be connected to the water supply 14. In use, as soon as hot or boiling water is discharged from the storage 10, cold tap water is supplied from the tap water to the storage 10 via the supply conduit 12. The reservoir 10 is also provided with a discharge conduit 16 adjacent to the top side of the reservoir 10. In use, hot or boiling water can be discharged from the reservoir 10 through the exhaust conduit 16. An electric heating element (18) is disposed in the storage part (10). Through appropriate control of the electrical heating element 18, the temperature of the water in the reservoir 10 can be maintained above the boiling point of the atmospheric pressure. The apparatus is also provided with an outlet conduit 20 which is connected to the outlet conduit 16 of the reservoir 10 via fluid communication ports 22, Generally, the outlet tube will have an outlet end located above the sink or similar drain. Preferably, the outlet pipe 20 is pivotable and adjustable in height. Thus, fans and cups of different heights can be filled in counter or sink without spilling boiling water.

The apparatus further comprises valves (28, 28 ') included in the fluid communication portions (22, 24, 26).

The valves 28, 28 'are provided with valve bodies 30, 32, 30', 32 '. The valves 28, 28 ', and in particular the valve bodies 30, 32, 30', 32 'thereof, are provided with inlets 34, 34' which are connected to the upstream portion 22 of the fluid communication. The outlets 36 and 36 'of the valves 28 and 28' are connected to the downstream portion 26 of the fluid communication portion. The valve 28, 28 'is further provided with a valve seat 38, 38' and a movable valve member 40, 40 ', which valve member is in the closed position with a particular closing force, '. The valve 28, 28 'further comprises an actuator 42, 42', which actuates the lifting force in the direction opposite to the closing force in the operative state, i.e. in a state corresponding to the open faucet, The valve members 40 and 40 'are lifted up by the valve seats 38 and 38'. The valve 28, 28 'further includes an inner fluid communication portion 24, 24' which connects the inlet 34, 34 'to the outlet 36, 36' , 40 '. The configuration of the valves 28 and 28 'and their connection to the fluid communication portions 22 and 26 allows the force in the direction opposite to the closing force of the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 to be applied to the valve members 40 and 40' . The closing force is such that when the transient pressure in the storage part 10 reaches the threshold value, the valve member 40, 40 'is pressed from the closed position. The device is further provided with an actuating element 68 which actuates the actuators 42 and 42 'in the actuated and non-actuated states to bring the valve members 40 and 40' State.

The device thus designed to dispense boiling water is reliable and durable, since the same valve member 40, 40 'is used for both normal use and overpressure prevention when dispensing boiling water. For example, the lime-scale deposits substantially eliminate the risk that the transient pressure safety measures will no longer be effective because the same valve members 40, 40 (which are opened when the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 exceeds a certain threshold value) ') Is opened every normal use. With this device, the valve serving as an overpressure safety measure is prevented from sticking due to its non-use and selective lime scale formation and the like. As another advantage, if the transient pressure in the reservoir exceeds a certain threshold, the vapor and / or water in the transient pressure state is distributed to the surroundings through the outlet tube. Therefore, in general, the water will end up in a sink or similar drain, and generally no steam enters the sink cupboard in which the reservoir 10 is located. Another advantage is that there is only one moving part, namely the valve member 40, 40 '. As a result, the device can be manufactured economically and only one moving part is advantageous for reliable operation.

The threshold at which the valve seat 38, 38 'is lifted against the closing force due to the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 may be, for example, 2 to 11 bar. In other words, absolute pressure is 3 to 12 bar. If the threshold value is within this range, the water present in the reservoir 10 can be maintained at the superatmospheric pressure, so that the temperature of the water in the reservoir can be kept higher than the boiling point of the atmospheric pressure without starting to boil . When the user wishes to draw boiling water, the actuating elements 68 and 28 'are actuated and the actuators 42 and 42' are activated and the valve members 40 and 40 ' 38, 38 '. The effluent water will be exposed to atmospheric pressure instead of transient pressure, so it will start to boil while flowing out.

Now, the electromagnetic design of the valve 28 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In one embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the valve member 40 is designed as a plunger, and at one end of the plunger is a sealing member 52 made of a flexible material. At the closed position of the valve member 40, the sealing member 52 contacts the valve seat 38. The flexible material provides a reliable seal of the fluid communication portion 24 in the electromagnetic valve 28. In one embodiment of the electromagnetic valve 28, the closing force can be generated by the biasing spring 44. An example of this embodiment is shown in Fig. In order to form a compact electromagnetic valve, it is preferable to design the plunger hollow to form the spring chamber 54, and a spring 44 may be included in the spring chamber. Here, the spring 44 is connected to a portion of the valve body 30, 32 through a connection spindle, which is in one end contact with the inner wall of the plunger that forms the boundary of the spring chamber 54 and protrudes through the plunger, It is supported. When the valve member 40 is in the closed position, a distance is given between the inner wall of the plunger contacting the first end of the spring and the portion of the valve body 30,32 where the second end of the spring 44 is supported . Given this distance, the threshold at which the overpressure in the reservoir 10 lifts the valve member 40 from the valve seat 38 is determined by the size of the spring 44. In one embodiment, except for the sealing member 52, the plunger-shaped valve member 40 may be made entirely of a ferromagnetic material. However, the plunger may be partially formed of other materials and may also include, for example, a ferromagnetic jacket.

In one embodiment, the valve body 30, 32 may be provided with a coil body portion 30 having a valve member chamber 56, which is surrounded by an electrical coil 42. The valve body 30 32 may further include a connecting body portion 32 which includes an inlet 34, an outlet 36 and a valve seat 38. Here, the connecting body portion 32 may be coupled to the coil body portion 30, for example, with a screw thread or bayonet coupling. By constructing the valve body with two body parts in this way, the manufacture thereof is relatively simple. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, an electrical coil 42 is attached to the coil body 30, which is tightened between the shoulder 72 in the coil body 30 and the clamping ring 74 And this clamping ring is pressed against the coil with the aid of the nut 76. The nut (76) engages with the screw thread portion (78) provided on the coil body portion (30).

Figure 3 shows an exemplary alternative embodiment of valve 28 '. In this embodiment, the actuator 42 'of the valve is an electric motor 42'. The electric motor 42 'may be, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor provided with a rotor and a stator (not shown). In the illustrated example, the electric motor 42 'is provided with an integral transmission (not shown) which converts the rotation of the rotor into an axial movement of the shaft 80' of the motor 42 ' . The shaft 80 'is connected to the valve member 40' with a clearance so that if the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 is higher than the threshold value, then this transient pressure and the plunger 40 ' The valve member 40 'can be pressed from the valve seat 38' in the non-operating state of the electric motor 42 '. When the electric motor 42 'is in operation, the shaft 80' goes to a position where the valve member 40 'is lifted from the valve seat 38' against the closing force. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the position of the shaft 80 'is the axially retracted position. Similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the valve member 40 'can be designed as a plunger having a sealing material 52' of a flexible material at the front end. When the valve member 40 'is in the closed position, the sealing body 52' comes into contact with the valve seat 38 '. The flexible material provides a reliable seal of the fluid communication portion 24 'at the valve 28'. In this embodiment as well, the closing force applied to the valve member 40 'can be generated by the biasing spring 44.

3, the valve body 30, 32 'may be provided with an electric motor suspension 30' and a connecting body 32 ', which is connected to the inlet 34 ', An outlet 36' and a valve seat 38 '. The connection body portion 32 'is coupled to the electric motor suspension 30. [

In the two embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3, the connecting body portions 32, 32 'may be provided with central bores 58, 58' which form the inlets 34, 34 ' And a second end surrounded by the valve seat 38, 38 '. The connecting body portions 32 and 32 'are further provided with connecting chambers 60 and 60', the central bores 58 and 58 'ending in the connecting chamber with the second end, The seat 38, 38 'is located and the valve member 40, 40' in the closed position is at least partially in its connecting chamber. The connecting bodies 32 and 32 'are further provided with second bores 62 and 62' which are substantially perpendicular to the central bores 58 and 58 ' And a second end terminating in a connecting chamber (60, 60 '). In this embodiment, the valve 28 has only one moving part, especially when the actuator is the electromagnetic coil 42, so that the configuration is relatively simple and the reliability and durability of the valve 28 are greatly improved.

2 and 3, the valve member 40, 40 ', designed as a plunger, has a central longitudinal axis L and the plunger can move along its central longitudinal axis . The valve seats 38, 38 'are in a plane perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis L thereof. With this arrangement, the overpressure in the reservoir 10 forces the plunger against the closing force exerted by the springs 44, 44 '. The central bore 58 has a central longitudinal axis coinciding with a central longitudinal axis L in which the valve members 40, 40 'designed as plungers are movably disposed.

An embodiment of a valve 28 'with an electric motor 42' (an example of which is shown in FIG. 3) may be provided with a connection 82 ', which is connected to the shaft of the electric motor 42' 80 'and the valve member 40' designed as a plunger. Also, a membrane 84 'with a central opening can be provided. The axis 80 'of the electric motor 42' passes through its central opening. The membrane 84'is watertight and is tightened between the connecting portion 82'and the ring or flange 86'attached to the shaft 80'of the electric motor 42 '. The membrane 84 'has an outer periphery that is watertightly connected to the electric motor suspension 30'. A sealing lid 88 'is also provided which is clamped between the connecting body 32' and the electric motor suspension 30 'together with the membrane 84' ') And the electric motor suspension 30'. A biasing spring 44 'is also provided, which is located in the coupling chamber 60'. The spring 44 'contacts the retaining ring (attached to the plunger) at its first end and contacts the sealing lid 88' at its second end. 3, a valve member 40 'designed with a plunger may be provided with a slotted hole 90', which is perpendicular to the central axis L of the plunger. The connecting portion 82 'may be provided with a lateral pin 92', which is perpendicular to the central axis L of the plunger and is included in the slot-like opening 90 '. The diameter of the lateral pin 92 'and the dimension of the slotted hole 90 are adapted to fit together to provide the clearance. Many alternative configurations of slotted holes / horizontal pins would be evident to provide axial clearance between shaft 80 'and valve member 40'.

1, the upstream portion 22 of the fluid communication portion 22, 24, 26 includes a tube 46 which is connected by an upstream end 48 to a reservoir (not shown) 10). ≪ / RTI > The downstream end 50 of the tube 46 is connected to the inlets 34 and 34 'of the valves 28 and 28'. Here, the tube 46 may pass along a path of an upwardly extending portion 46a, a top portion 46b, and a downwardly extending portion 46c when viewed continuously from the upstream end 48 toward the downstream end 50. As a result of this configuration of the upstream portion 22 of the fluid communication portion, boiling water will be prevented from being continuously supplied to the valve 28 due to convection. The cold water is heavier than the hot water and as a result the hot water will not flow into the downward extension 46c with convection and is stopped there by the relatively cold water. A significant advantage in this regard is that the valve 28 and in particular the sealing member 52, 52 'of the flexible material are not in continuous contact with the boiling hot water and thus the durability of the electromagnetic valves 28, 28' . Only when the valve is opened for use, the sealing member 52, 52 'is briefly in contact with boiling hot water. After the valves 28, 28 'are closed, the water present in the downward extension 46 will cool as a result of the convective flow and will no longer warm up. Preferably, the volume enclosed by the downwardly extending portion 46c is smaller than, for example, the volume of the teacup. The volume of the fluid path surrounded by the pendant extension 46c is preferably less than, for example, 5 milliliters, so that the user is unaware that the cup is initially filled with water at a temperature below the boiling point of the atmospheric pressure. This can be accomplished by providing the downward extension with a limited length (e.g., a length of about 5 cm) and an inner diameter of about 3 to 10 mm. To limit heat loss as much as possible, in one embodiment of the device, the tube 46 may comprise a plastic tube portion. The plastic is a poor conductor and therefore the heat transfer through the tube 46 is at a minimum limited. Also, the heat transfer through the valve bodies 30, 32, 30 ', 32' of the valves 28, 28 'can be minimized by making it of stainless steel. The path of the tube 46 can be efficiently formed if the upstream end 48 of the conduit 46 can be vertically connected by the discharge conduit 16 adjacent the top side of the reservoir 10. Here again, the central bore 58, 58 'forming the inlet 34, 34' of the valve 28, 28 'is substantially horizontal so that the downstream end 50 of the tube is substantially horizontal .

In one exemplary embodiment, valves 28 and 28 'may be two-position valves. In the inoperative state of the actuators 42 and 42 ', the valve members 40 and 40' are in the closed position when the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 does not reach the threshold value. When the actuators 42, 42 'are operated through the actuating element 68, the valve members 40, 40' are in the open position. Since the actuators 42 and 42 'are in an active or inactive state, these valves 28 and 28' require a fairly simple control. For example, the control portion may be a simple switch included in a supply portion, for example, an electric circuit in which an actuator 42 designed as a main power source and an electric coil is present.

In an alternative embodiment, valves 28 and 28 'may be controllable valves. In the inoperative state of the actuators 42 and 42 ', the valve members 40 and 40' are generally in the closed position if the pressure in the reservoir 10 does not reach the threshold. Depending on the degree of actuation of the actuator 42 designed as an electric coil, the valve member 40, 40 'may be in the range of the open position. When the electric motor 42 'serves as an actuator, the position of the electric motor can be controlled to obtain comparable results.

Operation and control of the controllable valves 28, 28 'and the actuators 42, 42' requires somewhat more complicated controls. For example, such a control unit may be formed of a potentiometer connected to a supply unit, for example, a main power source and included in an electric circuit in which the electric coil 42 exists.

However, an electronic control unit can also be provided. In one embodiment, such an electronic control 64 includes an input 66 to which the actuating element 68 is connected and an output to which an actuator designed, for example, as an electric coil 42 or alternatively an electric motor 42 ' 70 may be provided. The control unit 64 may be designed to generate a drive signal that is communicated to the actuators 42 and 42 'via the output unit 70, which is dependent on the operation of the actuating element 68. As already mentioned, the control part may be a simple switch or a potentiometer. The control unit 64 may be formed of an electronic module capable of providing control and driving functions. In addition, additional functionality can improve safety. For example, touching the actuating element 68 will cause the control unit 64 to issue a warning signal to alert the user that the faucet is dispensing hot or boiling water. These signals may be light signals or sound signals. The user will then either give up the use of the faucet or carefully operate the faucet to draw boiling water from the faucet.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the drawings, these drawings and description are by way of example only. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The items listed in the dependent claim can be combined with each other. Reference numerals in the claims are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims, but merely for clarity.

Claims (20)

Apparatus for dispensing hot or boiling water,
An electrical heating element 18 disposed in the reservoir 10; an outlet tube 20; a valve 28; 28 '; and an actuating element 68,
The reservoir 10 is able to withstand the transient pressure therein,
The reservoir 10 is provided with a supply conduit 12 adjacent to the bottom of the reservoir 10 and a discharge conduit 16 adjacent to the top of the reservoir 10,
The supply conduit is designed to be connected to the water supply 14 and as soon as hot or boiling water is discharged from the storage 10 the cold tap water flows from the water supply through the supply conduit 12 into the storage 10, Respectively,
In use, hot or boiling water may be discharged from the reservoir 10 through the exhaust conduit 16,
The outlet conduit is connected to the exhaust conduit (16) through a fluid communication portion (22, 24, 26)
The valve (28; 28 ') is included in the fluid communication portion (22, 24, 26)
In these valves 28 (28 '),
Valve body (30, 32; 30 ', 32');
An inlet (34; 34 ') connected to the upstream portion (22) of the fluid communication portion;
An outlet 36 connected to the downstream portion 26 of the fluid communication portion 22, 24, 26;
Valve seat (38; 38 ');
A movable valve member (40; 40 ') urged from the closed position into the valve seat (38; 38') with a closing force;
(42) that applies a lifting force in a direction opposite to the closing force to the valve member (40; 40 ') in an operative state such that the valve member (40; 40'; 42 '); And
And a sealable portion inside said valve body (30, 32; 30 ', 32'), said inlet (34; 34 ') being connected to an outlet (36; 36' A fluid communication portion 24 is provided,
The configuration of the valves 28 and 28 'and their connection to the fluid communication portions 22 and 26 is such that the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 forces a force in the direction opposite to the closing force against the valve member 40' And the closing force is such that when the transient pressure in the storage part 10 reaches a threshold value, the valve member 40 (40 ') is pressed from the closed position,
The actuating element is adapted to cause the actuator (42; 42 ') to be in an operative and non-operative condition, in order to bring the valve member (40; 40' Device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the valve is an electromagnetic valve 28 and the movable valve member 40 is provided with a ferromagnetic material and the actuator of the valve 28 comprises an electrical coil 42 that at least partially surrounds the ferromagnetic material of the valve member 40 Wherein the electrical coil applies a lifting force in a direction opposite to the closing force to the valve member in an operative state such that the valve member is lifted from the valve seat. The method according to claim 1,
The actuator 42 'of the valve 28' is an electric motor 42 'and the shaft 80' of the motor is connected to the valve member 40 'with a gap therebetween, If the transient pressure is above the threshold value, due to the transient pressure and the available clearance between the valve member 40 'and the shaft 80', the valve member 40 ' Can be pressed from the seat 38 'and, in the actuated state of the electric motor 42', the shaft 80 'can be pressed against the valve seat 40' Devices that go to location. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the threshold is between 2 and 11 bar. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the valve comprises a biasing spring (44; 44 ') for applying a closing force to the valve member (40; 40'). 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The upstream portion 22 of the fluid communication portion includes a tube 46 which is connected by an upstream end 48 to a discharge conduit 16 of the storage 10 and by a downstream end 50 Is connected to the inlet 34 (34 ') of the valve 28 (28') and the tube 46 has an upwardly extending portion 46a, a top (as viewed from the upstream end 48) 46b and the downwardly extending portion 46c. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the tube (46) comprises a plastic tube portion. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve body (30, 32; 30, 32 ') is made of stainless steel. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve member (40; 40 ') is designed as a plunger, and at one end of the plunger is a sealing member (52; 52') of flexible material, Is in contact with the valve seat (38; 38 ') in the closed position of the member (40; 40'). 10. The method of claim 9,
The plunger is designed to be hollow to form a spring chamber 54 including a biasing spring 44 for applying a closing force to the valve member 40. The spring 44 is designed to be spring- And the second end is in contact with a portion of the valve body (30, 32). 3. The method of claim 2,
In the valve body (30, 32)
A coil body portion (30) having a valve member chamber (56) surrounded by the electric coil (42); And
Wherein a connecting body portion (32) is provided which includes an inlet (34), an outlet (36) and a valve seat (38). The method of claim 3,
In the valve body,
An electric motor suspension (30); And
There is provided a connecting body portion including an inlet, an outlet and a valve seat,
Wherein the connecting body portion (32) is coupled to the electric motor suspension (30). 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
The connecting body portion 32 is provided with a central bore 58 and 58 ', a connecting chamber 60 and 60' and a second bore 62 and 62 '
The central bore has a first end defining an inlet (34; 34 ') and a second end surrounded by a valve seat (38; 38'
The central bore (58; 58 ') terminates in the connecting chamber to a second end, in which the valve seat (38; 38') is located and the valve member (40; 40 ' It is in the connection room,
The second bore is substantially perpendicular to the central bore 58 and the second bore has a first end defining an outlet 36 and 36 ' And having a second end that terminates. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the central bore (58; 58 ') is substantially horizontal. 14. The method of claim 13,
The valve member (40; 40 ') is designed as a plunger, and at one end of the plunger is a sealing member (52; 52') of flexible material, Is brought into contact with the valve seat 38 (38 ') in the closed position of the member 40 (40'
Wherein the plunger has a longitudinal central axis L which is movably disposed along its longitudinal center axis and wherein the valve seat 38 is in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis L, . 16. The method of claim 15,
A connecting portion 82 ', a membrane 84' with a central opening, a sealing lid 88 ', and a biasing spring 44'
The connection is connected to a valve member designed as an axis 80 of the electric motor and a plunger,
A central axis 80'of the electric motor 42'passes through the central opening and the membrane is tightly threaded between the connection and the ring or flange 86'attached to the shaft 80'of the electric motor , The membrane has an outer periphery that is watertightly connected to the electric motor suspension 30 '
The sealing lid is clamped between the connecting body and the electric motor suspension with the membrane and forms a watertight seal between the connecting body and the electric motor suspension,
The biasing spring is located in the coupling chamber 60 'and contacts the retaining ring attached to the valve member 40' at its first end and contacts the sealing ring lid 88 'at its second end . 17. The method of claim 16,
The valve member 40 'designed as a plunger is provided with a slotted hole 90' which is perpendicular to the central axis of the plunger and a connecting pin 82 'is provided with a lateral pin 92' Wherein the lateral pin is perpendicular to the central axis of the plunger and is included in the slotted bore, the diameter of the lateral pin and the dimension of the slotted bore being adapted to provide the clearance. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The valve 28 is a two-position valve and, in the inoperative state of the actuator 42, the valve member 40 is normally in the closed position if the transient pressure in the reservoir 10 does not reach the threshold, And the valve member (40) is in the open position when the actuator (42) is actuated. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
If the valve 28 (28 ') is a control valve and the pressure in the reservoir 10 does not reach a threshold value in the inoperative state of the actuator 42 (42'), the valve member 40 (40 ' And the valve member (40; 40 ') can be in the range of the open position under the control of the actuator (42). 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A control unit 64 is provided and an input unit 66 to which the actuating element 68 is connected and an output unit 70 to which the actuator 42 is connected are provided, Is adapted to generate a drive signal which is transmitted to an actuator (42) via an output (70), the drive signal depending on the operation of the actuating element (68).

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